annarodney

Seeking advice on how to finish earth bank/cut please

annarodney
3 years ago





Hi, when we had our house pad cut we ended up with this dirt embankment at the back (plus, as a bonus, the big boulder which we didn't know was there but which the kids love to climb!!).


We are now wondering how to finish it off so that it looks a bit tidier and more formal. While I love the colour of the red dirt, when it rains the dirt and gravel wash down and the messy junctions at the top between the dirt/gravel and bottom between the lawn/weeds bothers me.


We don't want a big retaining wall but I wonder if someone has an idea for some sort of border or planting at the top and bottom and even intermittently throughout the bank which would retain the beauty of the rock and bush setting and still allow glimpses of the red dirt? We would also consider putting a set of steps going up the bank (maybe diagonally across the bank) to get to the top.


Thanks so much for your advice.

Comments (5)

  • bigreader
    3 years ago

    What a great outlook. Love the boulder. I’d suggest native ground covers planted at the top and they’ll spill down. Good old pigface is hardy and a version of grevillea birthday candles would also be good. Have a look at the plant selector on Gardening with Angus site.

    annarodney thanked bigreader
  • oklouise
    3 years ago

    despite looking horrible until plants establish consider a collection of old tyres to step up the dirt bank, dump a load of big rough gravel and rocks over the tyres to help hold them down and create drainage and make informal steps and then dump a load of mulch over the gravel and add some pockets of native soil to plant a variety of native ground covers and of course, leave the fabulous rock face exposed and warn the kids about potential snakes and lizards sunning themselves on the rocks ..or when you win the lottery, invest in some giant boulders to match the rock face and let nature take over the planting

    annarodney thanked oklouise
  • Austere Hamlet
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Vetiver Monto is your friend.

    Not only is it fragrant and useful for basket weaving but it is also used for erosion control. Vetiver has incredibly deep roots that make it useful for this purpose. Monto is a cultivar that cannot set seed and escape into the wild, since vetiver is not native. You can get this plant from many wholesale nurseries in bulk as it's used for environmental remediation work.

    The native version is lomandra, which again can be purchased in bulk from wholesalers that deal with environmental remediation work. I believe a lovely clumping grass like that will look beautiful and quite naturalistic in that setting. It will also make a feature of those boulders. You can then plant Grass tree's on the ridge which will be an amazing backdrop to your yard.



    Lomandra




    Vetiver


    Plantings will undoubtedly be the cheapest option. Lomandra and vertiver are both fast growing.


    Mattress gabions are another option. These are wire baskets filled with large rocks. Used most often on earth cuts on the side of highways. Most landscaping gabions are rectangular in shape. But mattress type are used roadside. This is a large flat, wire basket than spans over a cut filled with large rock. Once completed it looks quite good but it will not be cheap. The advantage is that it is instantaneous. These ones are quite fancy obviously used to make a water feature. But mattress gabions are good for creating an appealing and uniform look.




    annarodney thanked Austere Hamlet
  • 94236633
    3 years ago

    I immediately thought of a low Gabion wall.

    annarodney thanked 94236633
  • Kay Bodman
    3 years ago

    Another option, it to lay down some erosion fabric and plant into this by making pockets https://www.allstakesupply.com.au/geotextile-filter-fabrics-erosion-control-matting/.

    annarodney thanked Kay Bodman